"I could have at least summoned up a Imp!"
Yeah that made me laugh. Then on reflection made me think, That we all started somwhere, we all had early sucsesses and failures, I'm had some spectacular Rituals that have blown up in my face (sometimes literally)
And thats the problem isnt it? Everone is a expert, no one makes mistakes, and every Spell and Ritual goes 1oo% perfect.
Well they dont.
I'm going to start the ball rolling.

About 15 months ago, I did a outdor Ritual to Odin, I walked to a Crossroads at Midnight and laid out some offerings.
Now maybe Odin was busy maybe he sent some other God on his behalf, or maybe he just decided to Give me A little slap (hey it happens the one eyed one is mighty caprictius at times)
Result.
Finshing the ritual. I sniffed and rubbed my nose as it felt a bit damp.
Yes you guessed it, a Bloody Gyser of epic proportions , down my clothes, over my hand, Good job it was dark, it looked like I had murded somone. So I bled over the offerings for a litte bit till I decied enough is t enough and made my way home to clean myself up.
End resualt of the Ritual was a sucsess though

When I was just starting out in Ritual Magic I prefomed the Lesser Banishing Ritual Of the Pentagram, Only I got my directions messed up. Spent aboput 2 days walking round with the feeling that my head was on sideways.

Not to mention the amout of DVD players,mobile phones and Watches we seem to go through as Magic dosent agree with delicate eletronic devices.

I'm not asking the "experts" to tell me what I did wrong. I know what I did wrong, I was young(er) ad cocky and I learnt by those experinces.

The point i'm making is We learn by experice, Most of us quickly learnt that magic isn't fluffy, its red in tooth and claw its a force of nature. Yet we seem unwilling to share those experices?
Why? because we would look foolish? Because the Air of Authority would slip a little? Wel guess what I don't know everting, I never Will. But I want to learn and part of the learing is in sharing the mistakes, as well as the sucsesses.

Fortunately, I haven't had any blow-ups or effects as sudden as yours JohnOdin. But i have made many errors and paid for all of them in one way or another.

My worst mistakes have always happened when I was 'sure' of my judgement of a situation involving others, my mistakes affecting them powerfully, but sometimes leaving me completely untouched. That is a cold and sobering experience that has at times stopped me from wanting to be what I am and do what I do. That is almost retribution enough.

I have learnt since then a method of what I call putting myself and my work 'in the balance' where however 'right' or purposeful I feel, the energy doesn't flow if I am doing the wrong thing. Yes, I understand how subjective such things are especially with hindsight or new information later, but I have learnt to trust that sense of wrongness that comes from the flow of magick leaving me.

I will not proceed, whatever the odds, the cost or how much certainty I have, if the flow isn't there. Sometimes then a new insight or just a new day or circumstance will offer the moment and I will act, maybe with a small change or even the same as I had intended. I learnt something about being a part of magick and purpose other than me and found a surety of action (or inaction) that lightens the whole.

I've not had much experience but not long ago, I performed a healing ritual for someone. Not longer after that I was experiencing the same symptoms as the person that I wished to help.

After asking an experienced friend if this was indeed possible, I was told yes.

Not too much experience as far as things go. When i was just starting out me and a friend tried a weather spell which i would never do now without some good thought. Either way it was a spell to make the sun shine for a party my parents were having. I didnt do anything right and although it was sunny for the day it rainned heavily for a good week after. Never again i tell you.

Probably my biggest mistake was taking myself far too seriously, when I first started performing rituals everything had to be just so, and I had no sense of humour at all about the whole thing... until one Yule when everything that could go wrong did. My sun candle kept blowing out leaving me stumbling around in the dark and bumping into things, when I lit the rest of the candles they set my altar ablaze, my chalice fell over and tipped its contents into the cauldron before deciding enough was enough and shattering into a thousand pieces, leaving me in total blackness again and now with the added bonus of broken glass underfoot!

I was so upset, but a while later I read some accounts of other rituals that had gone badly wrong, and realised it wasn't just me who had this kind of experience!

Things do still go wrong from time to time, the Gods have a sense of humour and I have noticed will occasionally slap me if I am getting a bit above myself, lol... most memorable was a time when our coven was holding an important ritual with many invited guests from all over the country, and it fell to me and another person to build the circle. Before we started, this person mentioned to me that he hoped we didn't screw up the circle cast, to which I replied, rather pompously, that if we did it wouldn't be me because I had built loads of circles and knew exactly what I was doing... you can guess what happened next! Yep, I confidently began to cast the circle with completely the wrong words, and had to stop halfway and begin again. I was mortified, since we had so many experienced guests, but afterwards they all had tales of similar experiences and told me not to worry. and i apologised profusely to my poor working partner too!

hehehehehehe yep thats a biggun.

When you find yourself poncing around full of your own self importance and something happens and suddenly its all too obvious that we're all human

Been there many times. Its damned embarrassing but teaches the wonderful lesson that when we lose sense of our own self and become too self important, theres only one way to go, and thats flat on your ass

Once did summat to raise the levels of frequency of nookie...
I spent the next week staggering around bleary eyed and bow-legged!

Mind you, Himself's condition wasn't much better!

I couldn't agree more Comfrey, I would like to think that I know better than to get all over-inflated with my own self-importance, but as an Aries it just seems to come naturally, lol... I do TRY and remain humble these days though!

I am sure there will be more kicks up the arse to come, and i'm sure I will deserve them - at least now I can laugh at myself, and recognise them for what they are

Aries HUH!
Snap!

Its sooooo hard though isnt it, especially when you are as perfect as only an Aries can be (at least in their own mind)

Rituals, workings, etc don't always work or the results are completely unexpected, I think that for some of us at least we don't tend to share either our successes or failures as we view magic as a personal thing, something that is a mistake for one person may not be for another and vice versa.

There is no one right way to do magic, the important thing is to do what feels right for you, I get very wary of those who pontificate about how a ritual/working should be conducted or who only claim to have successes, because we all have failures and make mistakes.

Storm Raven

The biggest mistake I made when starting out was believing everything I was told. You have to call the quarters in THIS order, saying THESE words. You must cast a circle in perfect peace, love and trust (what about if you want to zap someone?where does peace come in there?). And my personal favourite load of bollocks - always go deosil in a circle, NEVER widdershins. Deo-what-now? Do you really think them upstairs give a shit which way you go? No, me neither, but when I first started I did. Doh!

Oh yeah the doig everthing by the book method of magic BTDT
Nowadays its more seat of the pants magic, Gakking rituals and tweaking them
things still happen though-Like spending a whole day being so fully charged up I couldnt even touch my OH cos i was giving her shocks and then doing a pac man impression through the kitchen cos I was Starving
But theres a certian satisfaction in knowing it was My own doing, rather than just blindy folling somone else.
I think on balance the magical cock ups are the ones I remeber more.

Lol

Great Pac man description
I've done the Pac man thing. Utter 'feed me' munchies.

I get very introverted afterwards and wander around trying to aviod people.

One time I forgot to take feathers out of my hair (don't ask) and started to wander around the shared flat and started a conversation with a flatmate.

That house was haunted and said flatmate was sensitive (saw the biggest bugger) and I got the blame for it being there as she knew I was into 'stuff'. It'd been there originally and I'd been ignoring it dispite the fact it was hostile towards me cos I could sense it and should I want to, I could do something about it.

I did take their complaints seriously and tried to speak to it when it was clear it was not going to stop making life harsh I did get it removed/shifted on once they complained to me about it. To be clear here it actually started attacking the person I'd asked in to help me leaving her ill for a few days.

She thought i'd summonded what was there and had messed up. The fact I'd told her I don't do that kind of thing was ignored.

I scared the cr*p out of her before this happened, afterwards tho... She avoided me for ages afterwards and moved out first chance she got.

Had to bulls*!t her about doing a Rasmus impression and putting them in to get a better effect. Don't think she believed me. Wonder why . Sigh

For my first big 'bells, smells and whistles' ritual, I managed to make the cauldron explode - there must have been a flaw and the heat from my charcoal blocks caused it to crack rather loudly and sent incense and ash flying everywhere. I am not ashamed to say I bricked it!

And just to prove that experience can sometimes count for very little, it took us an age on Saturday morning to figure out which way the directions were when using North East as a starting reference point. I blame lack of sleep

Rhiannon

The only time anything odd happened was when I still helped run the York Open Circle, and the guy we had in the West did the most extravagant closing LBRP, arms wide, voice booming etc.

Half an hour later we had the biggest downpour I had ever seen. He was quite worried!

That reminds me of one my beloved husband did. He was supposed to call West and called East instead. A few minutes later it started to rain, it rained downwards, it rained sideways, it rained upwards. We were all absolutely drenched. Nowhere else in Birmingham had any rain that day

It's things like this that make me think that even the Universe has a sense of humour.

Heh. Talking of rain reminds me of one horrendous faux pas.

A friend took me out on the Derbyshire moors to 'meet some people'. Now, we're not talking humans, here. She was taking me to two stone circles she's fond of, more to meet the wight of the second.

My patron is usually treated as royalty by landwights. So, as soon as I stepped foot on the moors I made a point of signalling I'm his. Immediately the rain started. A belter. By the time we reached the first circle we were both completely drenched - and I knew that circle didn't want me. So, while she made her usual offerings, I hedged cautiously round it, and onto the path to the second.

The rain stopped. Just like that. No more rain.

Now I ask before name dropping.

And the bit about directions reminds me of a friend who spent a lot of time at Avebury. She ran a moot and would take the members there. One evening she invited everyone to admire the amazing colours of the sunset. After about ten minutes, someone hesitantly suggested that they weren't actually facing west. Friend recalibrated and realised they were all looking at the lights of Swindon.

That reminds me of the circle at the Derbyshire Pagan camp last year. The people calling the quarters were being given their candles and the 'Fire' quarter said 'which way is South?' while the setting sun was blazing away over us.

Jape, I agree with this 100%. I found that most magical gaffs can be avoided if one simply 'works with the flow'. No matter how much we like to think, sometimes we cannot change things. Sometimes there are bigger things at work and if you try to mess with that then that's when I find you come unstuck.

Other than that - I haven't really made many magical gaffs which is quite miraculous considering how early I started and my lack of a teacher. Most of them have revolved around accidentally pulling things in but being solitary teaches nerve, creativity and the knack of cleaning up after oneself no matter what.

Erm, this is going back years and years when I did take part in rituals, I cannot be arsed with them these days but you know when in a ritual, at some point there is a quiet moment.

When noone is speaking.

Not a sound could be heard.

There was silence.

Which was broken by the sound of someone breaking wind.

Me and a couple of others just creased up and became jibbering Beavis and Butthead impersonators

I stopped drinking pop before rituals, due to my unfortunate tendency to burp during pathworkings.. always at the quiet bits, lol

being the forgetful thing that I am, my very first ritual had name cards for my quarters. I don't think anyone seemed to mind though, it went well!
Less successful was my efforts to intervene in ym friend having to leave Uni because of lack of funds. 'Matthew's Money Spell' was successful in the extent that his credit limit on his card was inexplicably upped, and he was able to draw money beyond his overdraft means. It was less successful in that he ended up failing his modules and dropping out of uni anyway, and still hasn't paid the debt back 6 years later...

This happened yesterday and is along the same idea

I used to offer the alfs milk and poured it into the center of a ground hugging plant to hide it from the locals who share the garden who'd be wierded out by it.

Not a good idea when the dog likes milk. It ate the plant.

Quite emphatically, by all accounts.

I suppose beginning on one's Path - and indeed, discovering and discarding in order to decide that Path, will always be a bit fraught with the odd mishap.

One's spiritual beliefs are bound closely with the whole "otherness" of one's life. It's a bit like starting off naively believing all that your so-called "friends" tell you. That what you see is in fact what you get. That sort of unquestioning loyalty is almost an open invite for the innocents among us to be trampled upon. Shades of the "Witch hunts" I suppose, and fools rushing in etcetera.

On the plus side of course, we (most of us anyway) learn from our mistakes.

Aye, that's a hard and painful lesson to learn Adds a layer of armour and that in itself is not always a good thing, though it's necessary.



*nods* Yep - the savvy tuck the experience under their belt and move on, older and wiser. If a bit singed.

Me? I'm always learning. I was told once that a witch who thinks they know everything, has learned nothing.

I'm sorry

Poor innocent plant

I got a query about it being a good idea for days beforehand too.

Didn't realise they were refering her eating it. I'd seeing her licking it off and thought thaat was ok

yup

I remember some time after coming on line and realising I wasn't a "real" witch I decided to do a "sabbat" (never heard of these before) ritual.

I shoved Boggy and the kids out the door and set up my "altar" (read ... coffee table) with candles, incense, wine and all that I thought good real witches used.

I then proceeded to ponce around a bit. I was VERY impressive at this stage I have to tell you. Thats impressive to me and the dog who was (thankfully) the only witness to this charade.

Anyway I lit the candles and proceeded to light the "incense". It didnt quite go according to plan so I added more, at which point the whole thing went up in flames, set fire to the "altar" cloth and I had to douse the whole damn thing out with the "ceremonial" wine !!!!!

I have visions of the Gods looking down and snorting derisively into their wine and it was the start of many lessons in who to listen to and who not. But more importantly not to take yourself very seriously at all, because if you do they will bite your ar*se and make you look a fool.

I would love to claim innocence and youth. But I was 40 at this point and still hadnt learnt "if it aint broke, dont fix it"

Armour's always good as long as it doesn't restrict you to much, it's always a difficult balancing act between armour and mental, physical and emotional mobility/flexiblilty.

We are all members of the University of Life, it just that some of us choose to enroll on more courses than others, those who think that they know everything not only have learned nothing are also either terminally stupid and/or terminally egotistical.

Storm Raven

i used to be very fanatical about tools and had many disheartening moments when candles wouldnt light cos of the wind wand would get muddy i dropped my athame on my foot isis and osiris wouldnt stand up it was cold, and getting wet so i gave up and sulked.

but we learn and we grow its all good

Well i've learn't alot but still have a hell of alot more to learn. And yes there have been some interesting and funny lesson on route. The first being a blessing for a horse, this was one of my tests infront of a group of Elders and other witnesses. Well I hadn't even statred properly and the horse had already eaten the food offering, t finished with a thunder storm that blew up out of nowhere, a missing horses who'd spooked and rund from the storm and alot of Elders quietly smileing at me. All I could do was join in and start laughing.

Siksika